Mץ Sαѕѕץ Lαdץ
by rei-blaze
Summary: She was a troublesome, young heiress. He was the epitome of seriousness. She thought he was too full of himself. He believed she was too immature. A stubborn lady plus an equally stubborn bodyguard; this is their cat-and-dog relationship story. AU. HitsuKarin & other sub-pairings.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER:** _This is a work of fan fiction based on manga/animé Bleach. The canon universe and all its original characters are rightfully owned by Tite Kubo. Author doesn't own anything, but the story.___

**A/N:** _Greetings! Now, that's not really needed, but I still want to greet you._

_This is a new story, apparently. The idea had been in my mind for a long time now, but had been forgotten due to the fact that I was busy with other stuffs. I only remembered it again when I was thinking of making a HitsuKarin fan art as I caught up with the manga—swear, that kid, Toushirou I mean, is getting hotter and hotter every change of appearance._

_But, anyway, I started to make a draft for the story line and well, I just loved the whole idea. Funny thing is, my initial plan of drawing an HK art was already set aside. Not really funny, but, oh well._

_To those who are following my other story, __**Make It Even**__, you have nothing to worry because that will still be my priority. — It rhymes! But, whatever. — So I was saying, my main focus will still be my first multi-chaptered fanfic, and since life has been more demanding at the present, I can't promise to give you fast updates on my on-going stories. I don't know how to make up for it, though, so kindly bear with me, guys._

_It's, yet, another Romance/Humor story set in alternate universe. If you can't still tell, that's the genre that I'm most comfortable to write. No restrictions in my case; just throw the 'natural and sarcastic me,' and that'll already do most of the jobs._

_So, now let's go to the story, yeah? There's only one thing that I am going to ask you to do as you read. To enjoy, that is._

**FULL SUMMARY:** _Meet Kurosaki Karin, a college student who came from an elite family; daughter of the most respected doctor in town. She was pretty, smart and talented, except there was one problem. Given her brash attitude, she often had the tendency to attract troubles. _

_Worried that his daughter was already going overboard, Kurosaki Isshin decided to find the perfect bodyguard to keep her away from those mischiefs. Unfortunately, every single one who was hired didn't last long for no one was able to survive Karin's pranks. The young woman was gratified that everything was happening according to her plans. But everything turned upside-down when the son of a family friend came back to Karakura, and accepted the job. _

_In the character of Hitsugaya Toushirou, a levelheaded and serious young man, Karin found her match. Collected and confident that he was, Karin had a hard time of overturning him. She wasn't pleased because of that, thus, she intentionally acted more unruly than ever to piss him off. Yet, Toushirou just had a limited patience to tolerate her spoiled behavior. Thenceforth, he set his own rules._

_A stubborn lady plus an equally stubborn bodyguard, what do you get? A crazy story, maybe._

**нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи**

_**Prologue**_

"Kurosaki! Don't just leave us behind! It's your fault, after all!"

"Oi, where are you, Kurosaki?! Damn it!"

A smirk escaped from the lips of the person in question. They pulled the visor of their white cap down to further hide their feature; at the brim of their head covering, few dark locks were sticking out.

'Idiots,' the person thought, 'you'll be easily caught if you keep shouting like that.'

The way they casually ambled through the crowd, they were able to prevent an inclination of suspicion from the people around. No one would have guessed that they were actually one of those youths who had caused ruckus inside the same mall.

The person was the one responsible for kicking a soccer ball inside the public area, despite their friends' warning that they shouldn't do that in such place.

"You'll damage a lot of things here, Kurosaki!" their friends told them. Yet, they didn't listen.

They kicked the ball. Worse, without holding down the force they applied.

The black and white sphere flew, forming an arc in the air, and went in an open music shop. There would have been no problem if only it smoothly landed on the floor. Unfortunately, it didn't.

Poor guy staff was squarely hit on the face by a round object which appeared out of the blue. To boot, it bounced and knocked off of the CD stacks that said poor staff was attending after. Things ended in a horrible mess.

Needless to say, the responsible group was currently escaping from an enraged music shop salesman. And, apparently, the real master mind of such disturbance was faster and wiser than the others.

The person halted mid-step when they heard a gasp from a familiar voice. They looked up and tilted their cap's visor, revealing a pair of dark, feminine eyes. With their feature completely visible, it was already easy to distinguish what they were. Beyond question, they were a 'she.' A pretty young woman at that.

The young woman put an impish grin on, as a tall, older woman with faint gray hair came into her sight.

"Lady Karin, it's really you!" A worried expression was drawn on the older woman's face.

Karin raised a hand as a greeting. "Yo, Isane-san. What's up?"

"Lady Yuzu had been looking for you. She was worried that you got into trouble again." Isane's expression didn't change.

"Oh, no! Do you really think I'll get myself into trouble?"

"Oi, Kurosaki, there you are! Take responsibility for this!" And, that pretty much answered her question.

Isane's worry doubled when she noticed that Karin's friends were running towards their direction, an angry man hot on their tails.

"Lady Karin, you're indeed–"

But the person, whom she was talking with, was already slipping away.

"Oh goodness, Lady Karin!"

"Just tell dad and my siblings that I'll be home early! When I'm done here, that is!" Karin called over her shoulder, and continued running.

Thinking about her current situation, Karin couldn't help but snicker. This wasn't a laughing matter alright, but hey, it was still fun!

She was caught on that thought when she collided with someone.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" Her words came out hasty and insincere.

Without even looking at the person, she made an attempt to pass by them and to resume running. However, a firm grasp on her upper arm made her stop.

"Do you always do that? Just easily brushing it off every time you bump into someone?" A deep voice asked with disdain.

"The hell, dude," Karin hissed. "I apologized, didn't I?"

"You're calling that an apology?" An amused incredulity was staining the guy's tone.

Karin pried his grip and faced him fully. Though, since the guy was a head taller than her, she still needed to slightly crane her neck to meet his eyes—his sunglasses-covered eyes. What kind of person would wear shades and a hood over a cap, inside the mall, anyway? Certainly, a guy like him would.

"Half of it was your fault," Karin stated matter-of-factly. "If only you took those dark glasses off, then you could have seen me better when I was coming, and you could have avoided me."

The guy seized her loose top. "You've got guts," he started but paused as something dawned to him.

Karin couldn't see his eyes but she could sense that the guy was confused, and she knew why. She wasn't incognizant with the feeling of his hand against her chest when he grabbed her shirt.

"You're a girl," the guy posed it as a question.

"And, you're a pervert," Karin shot back, annoyed at the fact that he didn't appear sorry about that touch, intentional or not.

Immediately, the guy let go of her shirt and took his shades off. Perhaps, to check her better.

Teal. His eyes were teal, that was the first thing that Karin noted. Had he not been a jerk, she would compliment how beautiful they were.

And then, his brows were white. Odd. Did it mean his hair was white too? She couldn't still see it because his dark blue cap was still on. Not to mention, the hood of his black top was pulled over, effectively covering his entire locks.

She felt her own cap suddenly leave her head, snapping her out of her reverie in the process. Her raven hair tumbled pass her shoulders.

She glared at the guy, who was now holding her head covering.

"Kurosaki!"

As much as she wanted to beat the guy in front of her, she had an angry salesman to escape from.

"Jerk," she muttered scornfully before she ran away, not already bothering to snatch her cap back from said jerk.

Her mood had already become dull. No thanks to that son-of-a-bitch guy who couldn't just let go of a small mistake of bumping into him.

At least, she wouldn't already see him again. On that note, she smiled and quickened her pace; the voices of her friends and the man running after them slowly faded on the background.

**нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи**

**A/N:** _I'm still out of word processor. That explains why the late chapters on my other stories are sort of messy. And, that's also the reason why I haven't posted the next chapter for MIT, yet. Aside from the fact that it's only half-done. I'll clean the latest chapter of that story, first._

_With those been stated, even this chapter didn't also go through spell check. But, I proofread it myself__—not fun—so it isn't exactly a hot-of-the-press work, right?_

_Whoo. I love Karin! I just really do!_

_Of course, it's already obvious who's the guy she encountered with. Right?_

_This chapter is short__—I think the author's note is even longer than the chapter itself—__but hey it's still long for a prologue._

_So what do you have in mind about it? Tell me. I'll be glad to know. ;)_


	2. 1: Inside the Kurosaki Mansion

**A/N:** _Yes I'm updating! I'm still alive! Is that even a good thing? xD_

_Anyway, just please enjoy!_

**нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи**

_**Chapter One: Inside the Kurosaki Mansion**_

The sun had already set when Karin arrived at their house—their mansion, in fact.

Carefully, she pushed the front door open and made sure she wasn't making any noise on her entrance. Upon taking her first step inside, she was greeted by one of their female servants.

"Welcome home, Karin-sama." The greeting was not cheerful neither surly. It was just simply emotionless.

Driven by habit, Karin grinned. "Oh yes, thank you, Nemu-san."

The female servant's response was a small gesture of bowing her head; not a word, not a little smile.

Karin had expected that for it wasn't new. Within three years of serving to the Kurosaki Family, Nemu had never showed any emotion but impassive—if that was even counted. There were times when Karin wondered if Nemu was really capable of having subjective feelings. The answer was indefinite unless until the quiet woman presented the clear evidence.

Karin motioned to proceed walking inside but not before she gave Nemu another friendly grin. She stopped, and took her gaze in a tour around the entirety of the current area. She couldn't help but grace her lips with a lovely smile. It was a rare smile of hers; a pure and kind smile of a real, sophisticated heiress.

She sincerely loved this room. Other than her bedroom and her private studio, the main entry hall was her favorite part of the whole mansion. And she could tell that even her dad and her siblings were holding fond regards for the certain area.

Unlike in most of the large houses, the Kurosaki mansion's main entrance room wasn't designed to present the guests a grand first impression. However magnificent the room maybe, it was still a steady representation of humility. The logic behind it was simple; it was filled with the memories of a really humble person—Kurosaki Masaki, Karin's deceased mother.

The walls were painted with light blue. It was the color of Masaki's most favorite things, the sky and the sea. In addition, the entire entry way would remind anyone of a painting gallery. Adorning the walls with their grandeur were none other than Masaki's paintings—the concrete remembrance she left to her family.

True, like her beautiful artworks, Kurosaki Masaki's memories would never fade.

Karin's gaze paused at the largest masterpiece placed at the center. It was a painted picture of three kids. In the middle was a boy, probably a nine-year-old, with light orange hair and on either side of him were little girls, the same age of five; one with light brown hair, the other with raven-black. Their smiles were a clear image of innocence.

That memory. It was like only yesterday.

Karin was still on the state of reminiscence when an authoritative yet gentle voice broke in.

"Do you know what time it is now, Karin-chan?"

At the highest landing of the staircase leading to the elevated area of the Kurosaki mansion, a pretty, honeybrown-haired woman of Karin's age was standing. Her hand was elegantly placed on her hip.

Kurosaki Yuzu, Karin's fraternal twin, was certainly a proof that even the cute little things were capable of intimidating. Actually, Yuzu was like a rose—beautiful and delicate at sight, but one must always be aware of its thorns.

On reflex, Karin's hand shot up on the back of her head. She'd attempted to make a valid excuse but she'd only managed to draw a sheepish smile.

"Heh, you see, I tried to come home early but I guess I failed to do that."

"Mou, Karin-chan, I was really worried about you." Yet, Yuzu would always remain as a harmless, sweet flower if her family was the subject of concern. "Isane-san told me what happened at the mall. Seriously, Karin-chan, stop putting yourself into trouble, will you?"

"I was just having fun! You realize that it's only two weeks from now before we have to start our life in university, don't you?" Karin folded her arms and let her brows met. "I am only enjoying the remaining days of my freedom."

At the same time she gracefully made her steps down the flight, Yuzu shook her head and answered, "As far as I can remember, not even the most strict teacher in high school was able to confine you away from that so called 'freedom' of yours. So I don't think university is going to make a difference to you, Karin-chan."

As soon as her dollshoes-invested feet touched the carpeted floor and came in parallel with it, the honeybrown-haired twin moved her eyes up and down to examine her sister's whole appearance. She let out of a frustrated sigh.

"Look at yourself, Karin-chan. You dress like you're not a lady." Yuzu crossed her arms in front of her chest, and frowned, mimicking Karin's action earlier.

In contrast with Yuzu's above-knee-length dress with few ruffles and floral designs, Karin was wearing a white loose T-shirt and purple men's basketball shorts, complete with her rubber shoes. Her hair was still in slight disarray since the incident with her cap and the jerk at the mall. Whoever current-style-oriented woman would remark that Karin was a walking fashion disaster.

"I am not a lady, thank you very much." But of course, Karin could care less about what other people were saying.

Yuzu pouted. "I've made a cute dress for you, Karin-chan. You should see it! It's my own design, and I want you to be the only one to wear it!" Her voice almost rose in excitement.

"No, no, no, Yuzu. Let's not go there again. Just no."

She had nothing against her twin's clothing designs. In fact, Karin was confident that, someday, Yuzu would make a great fashion designer like she had always dreamed. Yuzu's particular masterpieces for Karin were all wonderful, even the latter would agree. Only, Karin and a skirt or a dress had never gotten along.

The only time Karin had worn a skirt was when she attended middle and high school, and it was just because she was required to be on her proper school uniform. It was already a miracle that she'd complied. For her, those past times should just be considered a history.

"But Karin-chan, I want to see you on that lovely piece!"

"I am not a doll which you can always dress the way you want, Yuzu!"

But, Yuzu was determined not to give up. Karin was going to wear the skirted garment, whether she liked it or not.

"You have to listen and obey me sometimes, Karin-chan. After all, I am older than you."

Karin blinked. "Where did that come from? We're twins and born at the same date, in case you forget."

"I came out a minute before you. Therefore, I am one-minute older than you." Yuzu smiled in triumph.

But in just few seconds, her expression of victory was replaced by confusion. She was definitely not anticipating Karin to laugh at her statement.

"The usual misconception," the dark-haired sister said, then smirked. "Most people believe that the older of the twins is the one who came out first when, in fact, it's the other one."

Yuzu blinked this time. "E-eh? What are you saying, Karin-chan?"

"The last one to come out is actually the older," Karin answered. "The basis? Say it's only a matter of seconds, but they'd been in the mother's womb longer than the other. Thus, their location. They're sited on the inner side and further from the mother's opening."

Yuzu's mouth formed an "o" in wonder. More than with the information she'd just heard, she was amazed with her twin's wit.

No one could disagree that, in spite of being troublesome, Kurosaki Karin was naturally smart. She could've graduated third rank in high school except she never took academics seriously during those times.

"Pardon me, Lady Karin, Lady Yuzu." The twins were too engaged in arguing to notice that Kotetsu Isane had approached them. "Doctor Isshin wants to talk to you. He's waiting in the leisure room with Sir Ichigo and Miss Tatsuki."

Karin shook her head and just smiled at Isane's politeness. The older woman had been serving to them since Karin could remember. To this time, the dark-haired heiress wasn't still used to her formal way of addressing them. In the past, Karin had even asked Isane to just call her by her given name and take the honorific away. But Isane had insisted it wasn't appropriate. That, and it was her duty to honor her employers and their children regardless of their ages.

Karin, though not completely sold, gave up and let Isane do what she pleased. She thought maybe the older woman was just accustomed to her previous employers before the Kurosaki's. Karin had known it was a strict foreign family.

"Yes, Isane-san, thank you. We're coming." Kurosaki Yuzu was certainly a person who never missed to return courtesies.

Yuzu walked first, and Karin followed.

"I am wondering, Karin-chan. I saw you leave this afternoon wearing the cap which Tatsuki-chan gave you. Are you even aware about its absence now?" Yuzu spoke as they made their way through the maze they called home.

Karin sighed. "Ah, I lost it to a jerk."

Abruptly, Yuzu stopped walking and turned around to face Karin. Not expecting her twin's sudden action, Karin continued to step forward. Because they were of the same height, their foreheads crashed into each other.

"Ow!" Karin cried and nursed her forehead instinctively. "Why did you have to stop, Yuzu?"

"Karin-chan, someone robbed you?!" Yuzu ignored the hurt part of her head since she was more worried about Karin's news.

Karin looked at her twin like the honeybrown-haired woman had just grown two heads. "Huh? Who robbed who?" she asked dumbly.

"Uhm, you said a jerk stole your cap." Yuzu's assumption was more tentative now.

"Oh... It's far from what you're thinking, Yuzu. Besides, what I'd lost is only a cap. Don't exaggerate."

Karin began walking again. She was already few meters ahead when Yuzu carefully ran and caught up to her. "Mou, you can't really blame me for overreacting when it comes to you, Karin-chan."

After few more steps, the Kurosaki twins stopped in front of one of the doors. Karin opened it.

"My pretty little angels! Daddy has been waiting for you~" A cheerful, dark-haired man ran to meet them. His arms were wide open. "How about you give Daddy-"

Shame, a shodden foot had sharply connected on his face. And in a bat of an eye, he found himself kissing the floor.

"Why hello to you too, Goat-chin." Karin passed by the sprawled man, and joined the other two persons—an orange-haired male and a black-haired female—in a sofa.

The female gave Karin a wink as a greeting. In return, Karin smirked.

"Otou-san! Are you alright?" Yuzu rushed to the man lying on the floor, and helped him stand.

Yes, the man Karin had kicked was unmistakenly Doctor Kurosaki Isshin, their father.

Kurosaki Isshin was well-known to the Karakura residents. It was not only because of their family's status but also for his knowledge and good-deeds as a doctor. He was admired. He was respected.

But to Karin and to her older brother, Kurosaki Isshin was a nutcase. People shouldn't get them wrong; their father was a kind person if not whacked out when it came to his family. The two siblings believed that Kurosaki Isshin was an utterly idiotic of a father while Yuzu was just too naïve and caring to realize that fact.

"Oh, yes, yes, my sweet Yuzu-chan, thank you." Isshin groaned as he stood. "My darling Karin-chan has grown more agile as time passed."

"So what did you call us for?" Karin asked as soon as Isshin and Yuzu sat down with them.

The orange-haired man scoffed. "This old man just wants to talk about your preparation for college."

The first version of a delinquent and reckless Kurosaki kid before Karin—it was certainly Kurosaki Ichigo.

Isshin made some scolding noises while he looked at his son. "You still have a lot to learn, Ichigo. Of course, when it comes to this things, it is my responsibility to give moral support to my children."

"Moral support, you say," Karin butted in. "Is that your excuse for forgetting Ichi-nii's first day in college before?"

"And he forgot even my graduation!" Ichigo added.

The woman, sitting next to Ichigo, laughed. "I think he's only supportive to his daughters. Now, let's just hope he'll not also forget about your wedding in the future, Ichigo."

Because of what she'd said, two pairs of eyes aimed her and Ichigo's direction. The dark onyx ones were holding a mischievous glint whereas the hazels were sparkling as if delighted.

"You know, Tatsuki-chan, 'our wedding' in place of 'your wedding' sounds better," Karin teased.

"W-w-what?!" Funny how the male subject of teasing had easily given a wild reaction when the female had only laughed.

"Nah, you know that Ichigo and I are just good friends. If not, Ichigo is just like a little brother to me," Tatsuki told them coolly.

Making a face, Ichigo chided, "I am older than you."

Yuzu meaningfully looked at Karin. The latter shrugged.

'Too subtle,' Karin thought.

Ichigo and Tatsuki had been friends since grade school. Up to now that they were both successful in chosen fields—Ichigo as a college professor and Tatsuki as a gym instructor—they'd still managed to keep their strong bond. 'Best friends' was their label to themselves.

Though, if someone was to ask the Kurosaki twins, the tag would differ. Karin and Yuzu knew it better. They could decipher the meaning behind Ichigo's and Tatsuki's smiles for each other. They were often the witnesses of those stolen and wistful glances when one was confident that the other wasn't looking. But just like in most clichéd soap operas where the lead characters were best friends and in-love, Ichigo and Tatsuki were too dense to realize their feelings.

"Ah, my lovely daughters, maybe let's just talk some other time," Isshin suddenly spoke. "I remember I have some important things to deal with."

As he stood up, the oldest of the Kurosaki's murmured something. He walked for the door and left the group.

Karin heard it. Even though her father's words were almost inaudible, it didn't escape from her hearing.

"You're hopeless, my son."

The dark-haired Kurosaki sibling faintly smiled. Ah, even their father knew. Possibly, everyone knew except the couple themselves. Karin wondered how long they would keep dancing around each other.

"So how about the two of you? Tell me about your crushes." Karin heard Tatsuki say. As the young heiress looked up to her, the older woman grinned.

Upon hearing that, a scowl formed on Ichigo's face. Not that it wasn't already there. It just became more apparent.

Karin snorted. "I don't have anything to tell, given 'crush' is not even in my vocab. And don't give me that look, Ichi-nii." She returned her brother's frown. "You have to worry more about our sweet Yuzu here."

From radish-white, Yuzu's face instantly turned tomato-red. It was as if she already knew where the conversation was heading. "Karin-chan!"

"Where does the guy live, Yuzu?" Ichigo asked, automatic and stern.

Tatsuki reached for his hair and messed with it. "Really now, Ichigo. Don't be a fly in the ointment, alright?" She looked at Karin, and smirked. "Now, how much information do you know? Is he already Yuzu's boy?"

"He's not!" Yuzu shouted before she looked down. Fiddling with the hem of her skirt, she continued speaking but her voice was lower this time. "I doubt if he even notices me."

Tatsuki incredulously stared at her. Even Ichigo held the same expression. What kind of guy didn't make a double-take when he saw the little goddess Kurosaki Yuzu?

"The problem's not Yuzu, it's the guy," Karin duly said as she noticed Ichigo's and Tatsuki's quizzical looks.

"Is he a gay?" Ichigo and Tatsuki simultaneously asked.

If that was the case, then why did Yuzu like him?

Karin laughed. "Oh, no. My bad. I shouldn't have put it that way."

"He's interested in video games more than anything else. That's why he rarely gives attention to the other things around him," Yuzu explained, blushing still.

"Video games?" Ichigo raised his brow. It looked like he'd forgotten his original plan of hunting down the guy.

"Yes, Ichi-nii. Yuzu's crush is a blond brat and a videogame-geek who goes by the name of Vorarlberna Yukio Hans."

Tatsuki hummed. "Interesting."

"Shall we not already talk about it?" Yuzu pouted.

Understanding that his younger sister was not comfortable on the conversation, Ichigo took Yuzu's request into consideration. To change the topic, he asked the twins if they were excited about entering university.

Karin rolled her eyes and sarcastically answered, "Sure. We're just as excited as the diver who's about to be eaten by a shark."

"Oh c'mon, Karin. College is not that bad," Tatsuki assured her. "I'm sure you can still pull your pranks to your professors." The older female laughed.

Karin feigned offended as she put her hand on her chest. "Ouch. I'm a good student and I love my teachers. I can't possibly play practical jokes to them," was her award-winning act.

"Sure, Karin-chan, sure. So, remind me again whoever was that student who'd managed to break even the stoic Byakuya-sensei's temper back in high school."

Ichigo's eyes widened on what he heard. "Really, Karin? Even Byakuya had become one of your victims?

As if in deep thought, Karin looked up. Suddenly, she grinned. Aha, how could she forget that priceless moment?

"Oh, you mean the ouija board incident?"

"Ouija board eh?" Tatsuki said, "I wonder why I haven't heard that story."

"Heh, well you see, it happened–"

The faint sound of an opening door stopped her mid-sentence. Everyone turned their heads to the door as a short guy with brown hair poked his head inside. "Anou, excuse me Yuzu-san, the ingredients for the dessert have arrived."

In an instant, Yuzu's face brightened. She clasped her hands together, and almost jumped from her seat. "Yay, thank you, Rin-kun! Uhm, sorry guys, I'll just walk first."

Excitement pasted on her feature, Yuzu ran out of the room. No doubt, cute and sweet things never failed to regale her.

Few seconds after she was gone, Karin also excused herself. "Let's just continue this talk later. Neh, Tatsuki-chan, you can stay for a dinner with us."

**нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи • нιтѕυкαяιи**

**A/N:** _A li'l bit experimental on the characters, yeah._

_Kinda plain and dead chapter, huh? xD Don't worry, next chapter's much better. Or so, I think. Aha._

_Thanks for reading! Please review._


	3. 2: Mischiefs on Record

**A/N:** _Parts in italics (2nd and 4th) are all flashbacks. All the moronic bodyguards are my OC's. ;) I don't have a Spell Check so my apology about the spelling mistakes._

_Enjoy reading!_

**Chapter Two: Mischiefs on Record**

"I'm eager to hear your story about Byakuya, Karin," Ichigo talked to his younger sister, mumbling as he chewed on a piece of brownie Yuzu had made for the last course of their meal.

Truthfully, it was so unlikely for him to become interested on issues about people other than his family and his friends, more especially if the talk was nothing but a trivial rumor. But there was really something about the name 'Kuchiki Byakuya' that could always make his curiosity pique.

Like the Kurosaki's, Byakuya was also a child of a superior clique, which was known as the Kuchiki clan. He wasn't a relative, and, in fact, was hardly a friend. Quite factual though it was, Byakuya and Ichigo had shared a very interesting history.

It was on the virtual record of the Mashiba First District Institute, commonly known as MFDI, that the two men's former relationship was neither favorably disposed nor on the state of overt warfare, albeit, it was full of colors. Back on those days, Kuchiki Byakuya was a fresh face at MFDI. He'd started teaching on said school few months after he'd finished his Bachelor's Degree of the chosen course. On the other hand, Ichigo was on his senior year of high school then. Byakuya was never impressed of Ichigo's uncontrolled manner; Ichigo wasn't amused of Byakuya's aloofness, and therefrom, each party had become a challenge to the other. While the young mentor's objective was to intimidate his delinquent student, the said student's aim was to snap the cold teacher.

But by the end of the entire school year, both had failed to score at their respective goals, and they'd parted both unfazed by the other.

So now, it made Ichigo think how Karin had accomplished the thing he'd been unsuccessful at. What had his younger sister done? Better yet, what hadn't he done?

He looked at Karin, brow shooting up in anticipation of his sister's response, while said sister munched on the chocolate dessert and earned herself a frown from the other twin.

"Karin-chan, how many times do I have to remind you to eat without making any noise?" As soft as Yuzu's voice was, the weight on the words was very obvious. "And, Onii-chan, it's not good to talk when you have food on your mouth."

The eldest Kurosaki sibling scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and muttered an apology to his sister. Evidently, he wasn't still able to outgrow his 'childish' mannerisms even after he'd become a professional. Almost a year of teaching in Tokyo University hadn't done any significant change on him, at all.

Ichigo suddenly heard Tatsuki make a suppressed laugh beside him. He turned to her, frowning. Whatever was the thing that she'd found funny, she might as well want to share it to them, no?

As if reading his thought, Tatsuki grinned at him, fork stabbing the brownie on her plate. "What? Can't help. It's just always fun to eat with you, guys. Too bad, Isshin-san isn't able to join us."

"Call of duty, like usual," Karin said, still producing sounds while eating the dessert, as if her twin hadn't just scolded her for that.

Yuzu shook her head and heaved a sigh of resignation. Sometimes, when it came to Karin, it was better to just give up than age fast due to frustration since Karin was just a pretty hard nut to crack.

"So what had you really done to Byakuya, Karin?" Ichigo brought the topic back. It was obvious that he was really eager to know the story, like what he'd said.

Karin swallowed a small chunk of brownie before she answered, smirking, "Just an elementary prank..."

• **нιтѕυкαяιи •**

_If there was one thing that Karin hated right now, it was certainly the subject World History. People and events of old millennia; why did she still have to know about those? Why did she have to give a damn on the past in which she'd never been part of? She didn't even care about Japan's, or at the very least, Karakura's history, so no one could have really expected her to harbor an enthusiasm towards the whole world's history. For Pete's sake, her dream was to become a professional soccer player in the future, and it wasn't as if a sports agency was still going to ask her who the father of history was or other similar questions, before they'd let her in a team._

_The certain subject was optional, truth to be told, although all the students in their senior year were required to enroll five electives. Karin had already chosen four; Home Economics (due to Yuzu's insistence) Computer Studies, Chemistry and Photography. She still had to choose one more, and there were only three open subjects left since she had enrolled late. The said subjects being Algebra, Language Arts, and World History._

_So what could be the best among the three? Algebra? No, thank you. Not in a million chance inasmuch as pure numbers and operational symbols had always been her enemy. _

_Language Arts? She guessed not since, whereas she was good when it came to visual arts such as painting and photography, she'd never had a passion or patience for creative writing. _

_Pointless to say, with the two subjects down to rejection, Karin was left with no other choice but take World History. And now she was starting to doubt if she'd really made the good decision._

_She didn't have any difficulty with the subject per se, except she'd always found it boring. She would've slept every time she was on the certain class but it didn't help that the teacher was a disciplinarian, and someone with dry sense-of-humor, if she might add. With 'dry', she meant it was totally non-existent._

_The young woman was aware that Kuchiki Byakuya was unhappy of having another Kurosaki as his student—not that she thought that her teacher had become happy once in his lifetime. It wouldn't take a detective to deduct that Kuchiki-sensei's patience for the Kurosaki's still kindled even after her Ichi-nii had left MFDI. All she had to do was to throw more fuels and fan it to ignite a fire. And if her brother had cut no ice to the certain teacher before, Karin begged to differ._

_It was five minutes past nine o'clock in the morning, Monday at Lecture Room 006 when Karin had broken her Ichi-nii's record._

_All the exam papers were already distributed to the class as Karin looked around and observed her classmates silently. She smirked on how fidgety they'd already become. But she couldn't really blame them, now could she? After all, who wouldn't feel nervous about the exam given by one and only Kuchiki-sensei? Except herself, of course._

_'Pathetic. Let's see if I can save your butts here.'_

_Karin, then, looked at their sensei in front of the class, and a playful smile grew on her face as she examined the teacher's expression. Apathy was on his countenance, unwavering as always. _

_Careful not to be seen, Karin sneaked her hand inside her bag to search for something. She needed her props for the big show. This plan had been long overdue and it was one of the perfect times to deliver such practical joke._

_'Let's all have a little icebreaker.'_

_Just as Byakuya was about to give his go signal to start answering the test questionnaires, Karin slammed a thing against her desk, loud enough with the intent of getting the whole class' attention, including their sensei. _

_And not surprisingly, everyone casted their curious looks at her. _

_A small board was on her desk. Judging by the characters imprinted on the flat piece of wood, plus the candle she'd also taken out and lit, anyone could conclude that she'd brought not just an ordinary board. It was an ouija board, as a matter of fact._

_The exam forgotten, Karin's classmates stared at her, like she was off her rocker. Karin shammed oblivious to their gazes, though she was already laughing to herself._

_"Kurosaki Karin—"_

_Karin smirked. Twelve seconds before he'd reacted. Not a bad start._

_"—will you mind to explain what you're going to do with those trash inside my class? Let alone, during your exam."_

_Undaunted at her sensei's superior air, Karin flashed a cunning smile at him. But, it hadn't done anything to capsize Byakuya's nonchalant façade._

_"Oh, don't worry about it, Sensei. I am just trying my luck here. I just thought, perhaps I could summon Einstein's spirit and ask him to help me with the exam."_

_Some of her classmates had their jaws drop; there were gasps from the rest. Dared she say it? _

_Silence ate the entire room. The tension grew as more seconds elapsed. Most of the students turned to their sensei, breaths on hold._

_"I think you forget that Einstein is a scientist, not a historian, Kurosaki." Byakuya's tone was still contained, his expression unaffected._

_Karin's grin broadened, if possible. She hadn't really expected Kuchiki-sensei to fold her statement back, and now that he did, it just got her more fired up. So far, so good._

_"So, should I call Herodotus..." She faltered dramatically, then gagged, "Holy shit! Did you just tell a joke, Sensei?"_

_Whether it was because of the mild profanity,—one thing that, she knew, Byakuya abhorred—or her theatrical act, Karin didn't know, but the sure thing was her lucky bullet had finally hit a nerve._

_Byakuya's eyes narrowed—a small sign of emotion, at last—as his students sniggered at Karin's comic remark. _

_"I can see that your minds aren't set for this exam, yet," he talked to the whole class, voice low but the little taint unchecked. "I have to dismiss you now. Throw those papers in a bin and I'll give you a different one next time."_

_Without more ado, Byakuya advanced for the door, but before he stepped out, he turned to a particular student, composure slowly returning. "Kurosaki Karin. Detention before your afternoon classes."_

_Karin just gave him a mocked salute. She wasn't bothered about the detention, at least. She'd, after all, had a lot of it in the past. And given, this time, the price was to see the great Kuchiki Byakuya lose his cool, then it was all worth it._

_She didn't need to make him erupt like a volcano for, she knew, he'd already been long dormant. But, making him walk out of the class was already remarkable enough to qualify for the MFDI's history record._

• **нιтѕυкαяιи •**

"That simple?" Ichigo asked, wide-eyed, and voice barely rising in disbelief. Next to him, Tatsuki pursed her lips, and her eyes gleamed, as if she was trying to contain her laughter.

"Simple as that, yes," Karin answered, shrugging, "but with an unexpectedly priceless result." She smirked, seeing that her brother couldn't still believe the story she'd told them. Did it really matter so much for him that she'd able to do it when he hadn't? Maybe, it was because of that whatever-he-calls-it pride. "I should give you a credit on it, though, Ichi-nii. I mean, I already had the advantage from the very start, since you're my brother. They were always saying that I'm certainly your one-and-a-half version... 'not sure if I should be proud of it, though," she scoffed, and such action made her brother scowl.

"Wait, Karin. You said, "They were saying," right? You mean, Kuchiki-sensei isn't the only one who'd realized?" asked Tatsuki.

Karin grinned to give an affirmative answer.

Yuzu shook her head, slightly smiling and already knowing the rest of Karin's story. "Kuchiki-sensei's case is just dime a dozen if compared to all the troubles Karin-chan had done during high school, especially during our senior year."

"Actually, another one, who had remarked that I'm like Ichi-nii when it comes to causing troubles, was our Chemistry teacher."

"Oh, dear," Tatsuki whispered, eyes going wide, "That creepy Chemistry teacher?"

Karin nodded, smirking. "Yeah, yeah. And, can anyone believe that that Kurotsuchi Mayuri is actually Nemu-san's father?"

See, their quiet servant's whole name was Kurotsuchi Nemu. Appearance-and-personality-wise, no one would've mistaken her to be the daughter of the MFDI's infamous Chemistry teacher. Nemu was pretty and harmless, whereas her father was creepy and always had the sadistic aura on him.

The knowledge would sometimes bring Karin into a silly thought that maybe Nemu had an odd behavior because she was traumatized as she was living with her father.

"Don't tell me you'd blown up of his whole lab," Ichigo suddenly posed the assumption, raising a brow at his sister.

"Nah. Of course not," Karin deadpanned, "Just almost half of it, anyway."

Ichigo's mouth hung agape.

"Really now," Tatsuki breathed, staring incredulously.

Yuzu sighed, not really surprised of what Karin had said.

"What?" Karin asked, noticing her companions' reactions. "I was just curious about those chemicals. I hadn't had a bit of idea that mixing them and heating them in a test tube was gonna cause such dynamic reaction! It wasn't intentional!"

"Okay, okay," Yuzu said, "Say that was unintentional. But how about the 'food poisoning incident' during our Home Ecomics? Remember, you made Omaeda-sensei sick for five days, back then. Do you also have any excuse for that?"

"No," Karin answered, rolling her eyes, "I did that on purpose, sure. But let's face it, Yuz, most of MFDI students are annoyed of that obnoxious teacher. Even Kuchiki-sensei doesn't stand a chance against his arrogance."

Tatsuki raised an inquisitive brow. "So you food poison him?"

"For the record, he's an HE teacher!" Karin exclaimed, trying to put forth of her reasons. "He should have been aware that an unpasteurized juice is at high risk of salmonella, so it wasn't exactly my fault that he's such a pig who'll eat everything given to him! It just served him right."

Ichigo ran a hand on his orange locks, sighing. "Jesus Christ, Karin, you're even more troublesome than I am."

"Of course she is, Onii-chan," Yuzu said, nodding in agreement, "That's exactly the reason why Otou-san had decided to get her a bodyguard."

Tatsuki looked at Karin, smirking, "But unfortunately..."

"Every single bodyguard was a wimp," Karin finished, almost snickering as she recalled the memories about her former bodyguards.

• **нιтѕυкαяιи •**

_Karin was pissed. No, she was beyond pissed. Her father had totally lost it. He had officially gone insane. Just what in the hell had hit that old man's head to think that it was fine to get her a bodyguard? And without her consent? Really?_

_She marched on the hallway leading to a certain room of their mansion, expression darkening as she kept thinking of her father's stupid decision. Seriously, what made him think that it was a great idea? Sure, Karin would get herself into trouble sometimes—fine, most of the times—but, what the hell, it wasn't as if she couldn't really handle every situation and take care of herself. It was also dumb to use the assholes, who would often make a move on her, as an excuse because, in case her father didn't notice, she had two perfectly capable fists and two perfectly capable feet to punch and kick those jerks. Plus, if the case was really about those dicks, then her father should worry more about Yuzu._

_Karin stopped in front of a large wooden door, her fist clenching, her teeth grinding. Rashly, she kicked open of the door—so much for being constantly reminded by Yuzu to act like a lady. _

_She wasn't already surprised by the awaiting view inside. There were couples of shelves filled with various kinds of medical books and few learning materials. It was her father's private study room and, sure enough, he was here, sitting on his chair in front of his study table, reading and writing something._

_"Dad," Karin called, scowling, her voice was anything but gentle._

_The Kurosaki head looked up from his book, and spun his chair ever so slightly to face the door. He pushed his reading glasses upwards and peeked through it. His expression broke into a wide grin on recognizing his daughter._

_"My darling, Karin-chan, it's so sweet of you to—"_

_"Drop it," Karin cut him immediately, and gave him the I-mean-business look. She huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Yuzu told me about your decision of hiring a bodyguard for me. So, will you mind to explain what kind of bullcrap is it?"_

_Isshin stared at her briefly, as if contemplating his answer. He sighed and took off of his glasses. "I'm just worried about you, sweetheart. I think you're already getting yourself into trouble an awful a lot," he answered softly, like the caring father that he was. "And speaking of which, just yesterday, Uryuu-san told me that you broke his window and injured his head with a rock."_

_Karin gaped at her father. Oh yeah, she remembered that incident the other day. She was walking home, bored to death, when absentmindely she kicked that rock from the ground. To be honest, she didn't realize that she'd kicked it too strongly. It was only when she heard a glass break, she realized what she'd done. So in its wake, she hightailed it out there, hoping that no one had seen her._

_However, just like on those usual unfortunate clichés, Fate had had its own way (Karin should really blame it to that meddling Fate, whoever they were), and it appeared someone had actually witnessed the whole incident._

_"So someone had seen me, after all," she murmured, and frowned on seeing her father's wide smile. "But that was an accident! And, I—wait you said Uryuu-san's head is injured? Huh, you mean I had also hit his head with the rock?"_

_"My point exactly, sweetheart, you've been into too much 'accidents' lately. And, yes, aside from his window glass, you'd also almost broken his skull," Isshin answered, shaking his head._

_Karin pondered about it for a while, before remembering the real reason why she was here, talking to her father. "But that doesn't really explain the reason why you've suddenly decided to get me a bodyguard! I mean, I've been doing troubles since I can remember and you just realized it now?! Just now?! Seriously? I'm already turning eighteen, for crying out loud! I can handle myself now, better than when I was six and you didn't get me a bodyguard that time!"_

_Isshin pouted childishly. "Aw, but, Karin-chan—"_

_"And, you should be more worried about Yuzu!"_

_"Yuzu-chan has—"_

_"And, it's summer vacation, damn it! Can't I enjoy my life before I enter university?! You just have to ruin all my summer plans because of that stupid bodyguard idea!"_

_"Sweetheart, I don't—"_

_"Does Ichi-nii even know about it?! And, what the he—"_

_"Karin-chan! Tone down your voice!"_

_Karin stopped her passionate exclamations, blinked and turned to her side. Yuzu was standing a few feet away from her, face was set on a scowl and both hands were on her hips._

_Karin raised a hand casually. "Yo, Yuz, don't you think it is still too early for you to shout at me?"_

_"Karin-chan!"_

_Karin twitched, and raised both hands in mocked surrender. _

_Yuzu walked past her twin, and entered their father's study room. "Mou, I'm sorry, Otou-san, I didn't know that Karin-chan was gonna throw tantrums when I told her the news. We didn't mean to disturb you this early."_

_As if he was just given the privilege to breathe, Isshin inhaled and exhaled deeply. He rubbed the back of his head with his palm, and walked to them. "It's alright, my lovely daughters, I'm actually glad to see both of you right now," he said, turning to Yuzu, "Can you just explain everything to her?"_

_Yuzu smiled, ignoring Karin's grumbling behind her. "Sure, I will, Otou-san."_

_Isshin grinned. "And before you leave, can I hug both of you first? Daddy just feels restless today so maybe you could make him feel better."_

_Yuzu obliged happily, like the sweet daughter that she was, while Karin slammed the door right on his face, like the reckless daughter that she was._

_._

_True to her promise to their father, Yuzu explained everything about the getting-Karin-a-bodyguard idea to her twin, but Karin was already too annoyed to still listen and consider any explanation._

_She didn't want anyone watching her every single action. She needed not to have a bodyguard. Period._

_When her father and, hell, both her siblings insisted that she needed to be watched, she was totally irked. Though eventually, she got tired of their persistence and, to their delight, she told them, "Fine."_

_Fine, they could hire a bodyguard for her, and fine, it wasn't in the agreement to play nice so she could do anything, fair or foul, to her bodyguard. With that, she got her resolve._

_She wasn't christened as 'The Troublemaker' in high school for nothing._

_._

_Karin's first bodyguard wasn't that bad, in her own opinion. He was a tall, greenhead, named Senju Kai and who had the look that could scare even the wildest animals in the forest—or maybe that was an exaggeration but the point was he had this superior aura at first impression. However Senju, Karin had learned afterwards, was actually friendly, respectful and responsible. Karin didn't have any problem with his personality and she had nothing against him really but, alas, he was her bodyguard and therefore she had to get rid of him. Nothing personal, she was only doing what was originally planned._

_Karin had behaved like a good friend on Senju's first day. She had talked to him about some stuffs and the guy had happily answered every question she'd asked. Unbeknownst to Senju, Karin was just actually collecting informations to use on her plan._

_The first step of Karin's plan didn't go on a waste because she'd learned something interesting about Senju. As silly and as funny as it sounded, Senju Kai, the guy with bad-ass punches and kicks, was afraid of ghosts._

_It had taken all of Karin's will-power not to laugh and roll on ground when Senju had told her that. Really, shouldn't he be more afraid of the livings? The ghosts couldn't do anything if they were already nothing but mere immaterial entities. But then, Karin didn't already make a further thought about it for her biggest concern was actually to perfect her scheme._

_Nine o'clock in the evening, Karin sneaked on Senju's room and hid a speaker of a baby monitor near her bodyguard's bed._

_Twelve o'clock midnight, Karin was still awake. She opened her laptop and inserted her flashdrive on it. After some seconds of searching for the right file that she needed, she picked the small audio monitor on the table near her bed and placed it beside her laptop's speaker. She set the volume until she was satisfied, then clicked the file, which was labeled 'SubjectKaiSenju', and chose 'Play.'_

_The file was actually an audio recorded from a horror movie wherein a voice of a young girl, calling and asking for help, echoed. With the use of the monitor's speaker she'd placed on Senju's room, Karin was very sure that her bodyguard was hearing the girl's voice now._

_When the clock hit twelve-twenty, she grinned and ended the first part of her prank. She arranged her things before climbing on bed, and with a satisfied smile on her lips, she slept._

_The day after that night, Karin was sure that her plan had worked when she noticed that her bodyguard had become jumpy._

_"Are you alright, Senju-san?" Karin asked innocently, as they walked on their forest-wide garden. She really deserved an Oscar's award for her acting._

_"Uh... uhm," Senju looked around nervously, "I... I am just wondering, Lady Karin, if there's a young girl l–living here. A six-to-eight-year old, perhaps."_

_"Eh? Doubt that. Yuzu and I are already the youngest women staying here in the mansion. Why, if I may ask?"_

_Senju shook his head slightly, murmuring, "N–nothing. Maybe, it was only my imagination."_

_Karin shrugged then walked ahead of her bodyguard to hide her growing smirk._

_For almost half of the day, Karin stayed on her bedroom, finishing some basic HTML set ups for her next plan. It appeared her computer lessons during high school had come in handy for this. When she was done, she named the setting 'SubjectKaiSenju2' and saved it on her flashdrive._

_After dinner, Karin checked on Senju's room. She poked her head inside and noticed that the bathroom was closed and the shower was running._

_'Perfect.'_

_As quiet and as fast as she could, she ran towards the desktop inside the room, turned it on and inserted her flashdrive. She installed the HTML setting that she'd made earlier, and changed some of the computer's set up._

_It took her almost fifteen minutes to finish everything, and she was just relieved that Senju hadn't come out from the bathroom yet. Karin got out of the room, intentionally leaving the computer un-shut so that Senju would easily notice it._

_The unsuspecting guy had finally got out of the bathroom. He'd already put on of his clothes when he noticed that the screen of the computer was blinking. Curious, he walked for it._

_Pressing 'Enter' on the keyboard, he waited for the windows to load. However, instead of the default applications, two identical images appeared on the screen and on top of the images were the words 'Spot the Difference.' Ah, so it was an elementary puzzle game._

_Senju was immediately thrilled to play it, forgetting that there was something wrong with the computer's setting, and failing to notice the timer on the upper-right side of the HTML page. He sat down, took hold of the mouse and leaned his face close to the screen to find the difference on the images._

_It was already more than one minute but he hadn't seen any difference yet. He'd grown more desperate, moving the cursor round and round, and narrowing his eyes to look at the images better._

_The fool. If only he would already realize that there was no way he could catch any dissimilarity since the images were totally the same._

_But being the pathetic idiot that he was, he just leaned on the computer closer, then without warning, he screamed—almost rivaling Yuzu's squeal—and jumped few feet in the air because of what had suddenly popped on the entire computer's screen._

_It was an image of Sadako from the horror film 'The Ring'; her one eye was staring back at Senju through the screen._

_"Sadako! Sadako's on my computer!" he cried, very un-manly, as he continuously ran around, stumbling. At last, he found the door and yanked it open to immediately get out of the room. _

_Just as he was about to go down the stairs, he noticed his young mistress, laughing furiously and rolling on the floor of the hallway not too far from his room. He halted and looked at the young heiress._

_"L-lady Karin, w-what are you l-laughing at?" he asked, a look of suspicion suddenly forming on his feature._

_Karin wiped the tears that had managed to escape while she was laughing. She took a deep breath, calming herself._

_"I-I'm sorry," Karin answered, still trying to catch her breath, "My friend, here, had just shared a very hilarious story."_

_"Y-you're friend? W-what d-do you mean, L-Lady Karin?"_

_Karin gasped dramatically. She stared at Senju, then looked to her right side, then back at Senju._

_"Don't you see my friend here?" Karin asked, as innocent as a child, pointing to the empty space beside her._

_Realizing that he couldn't really see Karin's 'friend', Senju's eyes widened in horror. That was when he lost it..._

_And he fainted._

_Predictably after that, Senju resigned from the job, explaining to the Kurosaki's that he couldn't stay on the 'haunted' mansion anymore. _

_Karin's family had easily discovered that she was the one responsible behind the entire incident. Yet, it didn't stop them to hire another bodyguard for her, hoping that they would find the one who'd be able to tame her._

_._

_The second bodyguard wasn't as friendly as the first one. Eiichi Kanno was a brown-haired, bespectacled man, with a know-it-all and don't-do-this-don't-do-that attitude, and a very limited patience. Karin didn't like Kanno at all, thus, she resorted on using more physical pranks on him._

_Karin 'accidentally' hit him with a flying baseball bat, causing him to lose his balance and fall straight into the pond. _

_She 'unintentionally' tripped in front of him and stuffed Yuzu's whole strawberry shortcake into his face. _

_She 'didn't mean' to forget to tell him that the snack 'Yuzu had made' for him was an extra super hot chili chicken sandwich. _

_When Kanno was totally irate, Karin cooked some special pasta and gave it to him as a peace offering. The food looked great so Kanno accepted it without thinking twice. But, he should have been oriented of the sayings, 'Don't judge the book by its cover,' and 'Things are not always as they appear to be.'_

_It was indeed a special pasta because of the various condiments that Karin had put on it—vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, mustard. Hm, yum. At least, Karin had learned from her Home Ecomics subject that the art of deception was also applicable on foods._

_"What kind of dog food is this?!" Kanno exclaimed, sputtering the pasta from his mouth._

_Gross. Karin grimaced. Talk about proper etiquette. _

_She cleared her throat before speaking, "Are you saying that you are a dog, Kanno-san?"_

_And that was the last straw. The next day, Karin didn't already see any sign of Kanno on the mansion._

_The third and fourth bodyguards were none the better. They'd given a good first impression, but Karin had eventually learned about their weaknesses and used it against them. Like the previous ones, they didn't also last long._

_The fifth was the best of them all, because he'd immediately backed out upon hearing the story about the four previous bodyguards' fates on Karin's hands._

_What a bunch of shrimps. In less than a month, Karin had gotten rid of five bodyguards, including the last one._

• **нιтѕυкαяιи •**

"So it's been two weeks since the fifth one, eh?" Tatsuki said, after the whole bodyguard-story, "Do you think the number will still go up to six?"

"Pfft. Doubt that," Karin answered, turning her head to look at a wall clock, "Come to think of it, we've already spent a lot of time talking."

Ichigo followed the direction of Karin's gaze. "Uh, 'guess you're right."

"So, Onii-chan, maybe you should already drive Tatsuki-chan home before it gets too late," Yuzu suggested, standing up from her seat.

Ichigo and Tatsuki stood at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo nodded, "By the way, had Dad already informed you that Rangiku-san will be here for a week, starting tomorrow?"

"Whoa, really?" Yuzu asked excitedly.

"Uh, and also, she'll be here with her nephew."

Karin raised a brow at that statement. "Nephew? I haven't known that Rangiku-san has a nephew."

"Same here. Dad had also told me that the kid is actually a son of mom's high school best friend," Ichigo answered.

"Sweet," Karin said nonchalantly.

"What did Dad say was his name again," Ichigo pondered, scratching the back of his head, "Yoshiko? Soujiro?"

"Toushirou. Hitsugaya Toushirou," Tatsuki butted in, shaking her head, "For a professor, you're really slow at remembering names, Ichigo."

"Yeah, whatever," Ichigo chided, waving a hand in dismissal. He looked back at his sisters. "So we'll leave now. I may not be able to come here tomorrow morning."

"See ya," Tatsuki waved before turning away, and with Ichigo following her.

"Be safe," Karin and Yuzu called simultaneously.

When Ichigo and Tatsuki were out of sight, Yuzu turned to her twin. "Karin-chan! Do you think Rangiku-san's nephew is good-looking?"

"What?" Karin asked back, raising a brow, "Are you gonna forget about your video-gamer Yukio now?"

"That's not what I mean!" Yuzu answered, blushing, "I am just curious about the guy."

"Whatever, Yuz," Karin said, propping her elbow on the dining table and resting her chin on her palm, "Ichi-nii didn't clarify how old he is. Rangiku-san's nephew, I mean. For all we know, he's just a ten-year-old brat. And, I don't really give a damn about him."

Her last statement was a lie, though. Hitsugaya Toushirou, huh? Why did she suddenly get this odd feeling just by hearing the name?

• **нιтѕυкαяιи •**

**A/N:** _I've honestly stopped being insecure about my grammar when a friend told me that I was already sacrificing the passion and fun on my story. It was like I was holding back/restraining myself because I was afraid about my imperfections, and I'd forgotten my principle of writing to express, and not to impress._

_She made her point, though. If gibberish was the best way that I can express myself on writing, then so be it. I'll learn naturally, as I go, and not because I'm forcing myself to. Now, if this is already the best that I can get, then again, so be it, but it's not gonna stop me from writing. Hey, it never stop a person with an awful voice from singing, now does it? It's their way of expressing themselves, so let them be. ^^_

_Sorry guys, even if I know I've got a couple of writing flaws (which I am still trying hard to smooth), that's not really what's really bothering me the most, inasmuchas I'm having a lot of fun here. Writing fanfics has already been like a guilty pleasure for me. :P Oh well, 'just saying because I was kinda frustrated about it recently. I thought I'd already lost my purpose, but 'guess I was wrong._

_Anyyyways, I'll give Toushirou to you on the next chapter._

_Thanks for reading! Kindly review, and hey, I'm still open to critiques. ^^_


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